In a large country like the US, it may make sense to have different policies in different states, but you will have to limit movement between the badly affected states and those that aren’t. European states also take different measures.
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You make a good case …
However, it’s not clear that state-by-State is the appropriate division. For example, even in NY there are currently 13 counties with fewer than 50 cases … despite staggeringly high numbers in and around NYC. Conversely, in SD to use @docslotnick‘a example. Nearly 2000 of their 2475 current cases are in a single county … can you say “meat processing?” … with very few cases elsewhere.
I’m personally in favor of cautiously opening up where there is a light case load as long as there is the ability to monitor and track and, if need be, tighten things up at the first sign of a second wave.
However, even in SD, how do you keep the folks in Sioux Falls (their epicenter …) from shopping and going to restaurants in adjoining counties and bolluxing everything up? It’s a little tricky … but I’m hopeful that some of the emerging coalitions of regional states can come up with both a good plan and the resources to monitor their experiments properly.
Stay safe out there!
John
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I think the problem is just how mobile people are. I do think states can create a barrier between people coming in and out, but it’s not feasible to do so on a county-by-county level without creating an even more restrictive regime of barricades or mini-lockdowns.
I agree that the US is a different place than Europe, with a country that is geographically many times larger than all the hard-hit places there. That makes the calculus of local containment a little different.
However, I can tell you that people from California – the biggest state in the country – will not just stay in their little local area. I think it’s sensible how the Bay Area did it – with 6 separate counties banding together with uniform rules. At the least you need there to be a big barrier in terms of time and travel distance between places with strict and less strict rules.
I, however, would enjoy some localism right now; seems that Newsom is going to close off all state beaches and state parks because of the crowds in Southern California, where the outbreak is much worse than the Bay Area. Everyone here has been honoring social distancing rules on beaches and our outbreak is slowing, so it’d be great to not have this additional restriction.
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Yes, people’s mobility is the problem. Even in my country (smaller than most US states) some people are asking why the north of the country can’t open up more than the south, but I don’t see how travel from the south to the north could be prevented. That’s just impossible
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yep, for sure. But I think that if you reduced air travel or you have required quarantines for people who flew in from out of state, there are many parts of the US that could be dealt with regionally (smaller than state level but much larger than metropolitan area). The Netherlands is tiny compared to the most populous states in the US – I once drove from there, through Germany and to Poland, and it took about the same amount of time as driving from El Paso to Dallas would.
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Yeah, I think the Netherlands is smaller than about 40 states in the US.
In WA state they banned fishing and released the prisoners. Makes perfect sense.
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Well, on the bright side, at least the prisoners won’t be catching all the fish!
In my state, new drivers applying for their first driver’s license will not need to take the road test. They temporarily suspended the behind-the-wheel portion of the driver’s license test.
Awesome! Because 16 year olds are very smart and responsible!
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I can hardly believe this is allowable. Imagine if they did that for pilots licenses. Only a knowledge test required. What could go wrong.
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Omg, first I’ve heard of these new “rules”! Right, what could go wrong?! 
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@TiaG. Your and @Boerenkool 's statements were ahead of their time. Look at New Mexico which has just closed off all access to\from with added SIP restrictions and by request of the mayor, Gallup NM.
@elver et al:
Yes, NM (and AZ) are tricky. First a couple of numbers: Native Americans represent about 10% of the NM state population but constitute over 53% of the COVID-19 cases. McKinley County has 3% of the state population, but 30% of the state-wide cases.
NM is home to the Navajo Nation (which is also is AZ and UT), the Apache’s, and 19 Pueblo’s that are all sovereign lands … so the Governor’s orders aren’t enforceable there. However, the Navajo Nation has imposed weekend-long curfews on their land for the past 3 weekends. Unfortunately, folks who don’t want the be subject to the curfew have been traveling to “border towns” like Gallup before the curfew starts … which is why the mayor of Gallup asked the governor to lock down Gallup for 3 days to non-residents.
We’ll see if the lockdown helps …
Stay safe.
John
I hope it does. Your information is super interesting, because the article I read didn’t provide that context, but instead referenced the proximity to Albuquerque and the growing number of cases there. I have however, read other articles that do speak emphatically about the rapid case growth on Indian lands. Context is everything. Thx John!
@shott, I’ve heard things are very dire in Navajo nation, and I saw that hotspot in NM, but didn’t put the two together. Very interesting. I wonder if a 3-day curfew will do much to slow cases, given the incubation time. My guess is any kind of lockdown will need to be 14 days to show much impact. Plus, with small numbers and jumpy data, I’m not sure how you’d even evaluate if something so short worked…
The closure of Gallup was made based on a request from the mayor of Gallup under the New Mexico Riot Control Act (that can apply to emergencies other than riots), but is limited to a 3-day limit. Although the RCA provides that the mayor can request a subsequent closure …
So, even though 3 days may not be long enough for COVID-19, those are the rules.
There is also a fear that blockading Gallup will simply move the problem to other border towns including Farmington, NM, or Holbrook, Winslow (yes, that Winslow …), Page, or Flagstaff, AZ.
But, yes, the Navajo Nation and a number of the Pueblo’s are in desperate straits
… exacerbated by poverty and a lack of running water in many cases.
Stay safe,
John
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Such a fine sight to see.
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It’s a girl, my Lord
In a flat-bed Ford
Slowin’ down to take a look at me
Come on, baby
Don’t say “Coo–oovid”
I gotta know
If your sweet love
Is gonna save me
We may mask and we may not
Though we will never be here again
So open up, I’m climbin’ in
Take it easy, alright
Well, I’m running down the road
Trying to loosen my load
Got a world of trouble on my mind
Lookin’ for a mask
Who won’t blow my cover
Been so hard to find
Take it easy, take it easy
Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy
Come on, baby
Don’t say “Coo–oovid”
I gotta know
If your sweet love
Is gonna save me
Well, you know we got it easy
We oughta take it easy
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Nice!
Just trying to keep up…
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Don’t most states also require logs of “X” hours driving with parent ?
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